Steel shelving unit



United States Patent 3,472,393 STEEL SHELVING UNIT Nicholas A. Vetere, Pompton Plains, N.J., assignor to Arrow Group Industries, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 24, 1968, Ser. No. 700,066 Int. Cl. A471 /00 US. Cl. 211-134 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shelving assembly including upright posts and shelves extending in opposite directions from the posts and connected thereto by a shelf attachment system which enables the tandem assembly of substantially standard posts and shelves. The shelves are assembled in end to end alignment with each other without modification of the basic shelf and upright units and by utilizing a relatively simple intermediate connecting member which is secured to the shelf and post by conventional bolts and screws.

The present invention relates generally to steel shelving, and in particular to a shelf-attachment system whereby two or more shelf assemblies may be erected and secured in side by side or tandem relation.

In a typical shelf assembly, there is provided four upright posts or corners to which a plurality of spaced horizontally extending shelves are secured, one above the other. The posts are formed at regularly spaced intervals along their vertical extent with mounting holes to enable adjustment of the height and spacing of the shelves. In turn, the shelves are attached at any particular level and spacing by the provision on the shelves contiguous to the corners thereof of shelf clips or the like having apertures which may be aligned with the selected mounting holes in the uprights such that a mounting screw may be extended through each mounting hole in the upright and threadedly engaged with the adjacent shelf clip. In this manner, it is relatively simple to erect a complete shelf assembly including four upright corner posts and a plurality of horizontal shelves.

If additional shelving is required, to be placed side by side with an existing or erected shelf assembly, it is of course possible to erect a similar set of shelves comprising four upright posts and a plurality of horizontal shelves and then by some expedient attach the two selfsupporting shelf assemblies to each other. Of course the possibility also exists of adding on to the existing shelf assembly by attaching additional shelves to one pair of upright posts of the first assembly and then, by just adding two further posts at the opposite ends of the addedon shelves to complete an additional set of shelves. In this arrangement, the center two posts serve to support one set of shelves extending to one side thereof and the second set of shelves extending to the opposite sides thereof. By appropriate design of the upright corner posts, it is possible to join plural sets of shelves in side by side or tandem relation, utilizing the intermediate pairs of posts as dual supports, yet achieving an attractive overall assembly. However, no practical and simple arrangement has been suggested for mounting the shelves of adjacent sets at exactly the same level and in end to end alignment with each other. The problem presented is that the mounting holes in the intermediate posts at certain levels are occupied by the corresponding attachment screws or bolts for the first set of shelves. This eliminates such mounting holes on the intermediate posts as locations for attachment of the shelves of the second set. This is an obvious drawback, particularly if the user desires to have the shelves in successive side by side sets precisely at the same level for either functional or aesthetic reasons.

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Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a shelf-attachment system which obviates the foregoing difficulties. Specifically, it is within the contemplation of the present invention to provide a tandem shelf assembly wherein first and second individual shelves or sets of shelves may be secured substantially at the same level, employing shelf-attachment means which are of substantially identical construction, requiring minimal additional hardware and enabling the assembly to go forward simply and easily.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment demonstrating objects and features of the present invention, there is provided a tandem shelf assembly which comprises at least one upright post and first and second shelves extending from opposite sides of the post. First shelf attachment means are provided for securing the first shelf to the first post at one side thereof. Such shelf attachment means may take the form of a shelf clip which is mounted on the shelf proper and an attachment screw extending through the post and engaging the clip. Comparable attachment means are provided for securing the second shelf to the post at the other side thereof but in lieu of attempting to attach the second shelf to the post directly, there is provided an intermediate connecting member which is interposed between the second shelf and the other side of the post, The second shelf attachment means secures the second shelf to the connecting member at the desired level, often in alignment with the first shelf; and in turn, the connecting member is secured to the post at locations above and below the location of the first and the second shelves to complete the corresponding shelf assembly.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view, with parts broken away, of a portion of a tandem shelf assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through a completed tandem shelf assembly in accordance with the present invention; and,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along lines 3-3 in FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown one upright post 10' and the corner of a shelf 12, which are representative respectively of the posts and shelves utilized in accordance with the present invention to construct tandem shelf assemblies. In a typical complete assembly, there will be a first shelf assembly comprising four upright posts identical to the post 10 and as many shelves identical to shelf 12 as is required to complete the assembly.

The illustrative upright corner post 10 is seen to include basically two main sections extending at right angles to each other, namely, a shelf-supporting section 14 which is adapted to extend between and at right angles to the shelves and a decorative section 16 which is adapted to extend to the opposite sides of the shelf-supporting section 14. The decorative section 16 overlies the adjacent areas of the shelves which are assembled at opposite sides of the post 10 or frame and cover the joint where additional shelves are secured to the posts 10 in tandem relation thereto. The shelf-supporting section 14 is seen to include a longitudinally extending guideway 18 bounded by opposite side walls 20, 22 and having a base wall 24 formed with a medial and longitudinally extending reinforcing rib 26. Struck out of the base wall 24 of the guideway 18 at longitudinally spaced locations therealong are a series of attachment or mounting holes, such as those designated by the reference numerals 28, 30, 32. The number and spacing of the holes 28, 30, 32 will determine the available levels and locations for attachments of the shelves 12. The shelf-supporting section 14 is formed with a flange 32 which projects at right angles to the side wall 20 of the guideway 18* and terminates in an inturned edge 34. The opposite side wall 22 of the guideway 18 merges into the decorative section 16 along the curved joining section 36, with the decorative section or skirt 16 terminating in an inturned edge 38 which is adapted to abut against the outer edge of the shelf 12, as seen best in FIG. 3. As the description of the invention proceeds it will be appreciated that the construction of the upright post is subject to a latitude of modification and change.

The shelf 12 includes a planar support section 42 which terminates at its opposite ends in a downturned end skirt and at its front and rear edges with integral mounting flanges 46 each of which includes an upwardly stepped upper section 48 which is formed with a medial rib 48 serving as reinforcement and for decorative purposes. The mounting flanges 46 further include an outer section 50 formed with spaced medial ribs 50a, 50]) serving both to decorate and reinforce, a lower section 52 which once again is provided with a medial rib 52a and an inner section 54 terminating in a turned over edge 54a. The confronting upper and lower sections 48, 52 are formed with cut-outs 48b, 52b which receive a removable shelf or attachment clip 56. The shelf or attachment clip 56 includes a clip body 56a with inwardly turned sides 56b, 560. On one end of the body 56w there is formed a pull tab 56d, with the body 56a formed with holding ears or cleats 56, 56f at opposite sides of the screw-receiving hole 56g. The clip 56 is constructed in relation to the mounting flange 46 and its cut-outs 48b, 52b to be insertable therein through the lower cut-out 52b, with the ears 56e, 56f locking the clip in position such that the screw-receiving hole 56g is in position to receive an attachment screw 60 after the same is extended through a particular mounting hole (i.e., hole 28) in the upright post 10. In this fashion, a first group of shelves may be releasably secured to post to project or extend from one side thereof at particular levels (i.e., level corresponding to that of the hole 28) Obviously, if an additional shelf, such as shelf 12', is to be mounted on the opposite side of post 10 utilizing comparable shelf clips 56' and attachment screw 60', this could be accomplished at locations or levels relative to post 10 which are not otherwise occupied (i.e., other than the location or level corresponding to mounting hole 28 and attachment screw 60- therein). For example, if one desired to mount shelf 12' at a location or level above shelf 12, the attachment screw 60' could be inserted into mounting hole 30 (of course from the side opposite to attachment screw 60) and a direct connection could be made to the corresponding shelf clip 56'. In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to also attach shelf 12' in end to end alignment with and at the same level as shelf 12, notwithstanding the fact that the desirable mounting hole 28 in the post 10 is occupied by attachment screw 60*. To this end, there is provided an intermediate connecting member 62, which is of U-shaped cross section and includes a bight section 64 and opposite leg sections 66, 68. The bight section 64 includes a set of three holes, the intermediate hole being designated by the numeral 70 and the end-adjacent holes being designated by the numerals 72, 74. The spacing between the holes 70, 72, 74 corresponds exactly to the spacing between the mounting or post holes 28, 30, 32. The intermediate connecting member is sized in relation to the guideway 18 such that it may be accommodated therein (see FIG. 3), with the leg sections 66, 68 respectively abutting the guideway walls 22 and with the bight section 64 spaced from the base wall 24. The spacing between the walls 24, 64 is such that adequate clearance is provided for the heads 60a and 60a of the attachment screws 60, 60'. As will be described, the intermediate connecting member 62 is first attached to the shelf 12 utilizing the clip 56' and the attachment screw 60'; and the assembly is completed by then securing the intermediate connecting member 62 to the post 10.

In order to enable the atachment of the intermediate connecting member to the post at locations above and below the shelves 12, 12', there are provided two attachment bolts and nuts 78, 80 and 82, 84. Bolt 78 is adapted to extend through holes 72 in the connectingmember 62, then through a selected hole in the post (i.e., hole and thereupon receive its corresponding nut 80. Ina similar fashion, attachment bolt 82 can be extended through hole 74 in the intermediate connecting member 62 and the corresponding hole 32 in the post.

A typical sequence of operations in employing the present shelf-attachment system will now be described:

A first shelf assembly is erected with one or more shelves 12 at various locations and utilizing four posts identical to post 10. If it is desirable to build on additional shelf sections, for example to the left of post 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1, the front and rear posts of the first shelf assembly at this location will of course serve as end supports for the additional shelves to be added on to the opposite sides of shelf 12, for example 12'. This is accomplished by placing the bight section 64 of the connecting member 62 against the edge of the mounting flange 46' of the shelf 12' and attaching the connecting member utilizing the attachment screw 60' and the clip 56'. Thereupon, the connecting member 64 is nested in the guideway 18 and the nuts and bolts 78, and 82, 84 are assembled through the aligned pairs of holes 72, 3.0 and 74, 32 thereby completing the attachment of the shelf 12 to the post at exactly the same level as shelf 12. Incident to such attachment, it will of course be appreciated that the heads of the attachment screws 60, 60 are in alignment with each other but there is suflicient clearance (see FIG. 3) such that there is no interference therebetween. Of course holes 30, 32 in the post 10 are above and below the shelf 12 as are holes 72, 74 of the connecting member in relation to the other shelf 12-' thereby enabling these necessary attachments to be made above and below the aligned shelves without any difficulty.

When the assembly is complete, it will be appreciated that the connecting member 62 is within the guideway and is virtually unseen, particularly in view of the fact that the wall 22 of the post 10 is substantially greater in length than the opposite wall 24 of the guideway 18 such that the curved section 36 to the decorative front section 16 overlies the joint between the adjacent shelves 12, 12'. Further decoration can be imparted to the overall assembly by embossing or engraving the decorative section 16 and/or the fronts of the shelves (i.e., section 50).

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that there is virtually no restrictions upon the user of the shelving and that it is possible to attach shelves in alignment with each other utilizing posts and shelves which are identical. Thus, both from the manufacturing and users standpoint, a Single shelf construction, a single clip construction, and a single post construction, with but an addition of the intermediate connecting member and the additional nuts and bolts enables the build up of tandem shelf assemblies with no limitation on the user as to the levels at which the shelves can be placed and indeed to align the shelves at the same level. i

A latitude of modification, substitution and change i intended in the foregoing disclosure and accordingly it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

What I claim is:

1. A tandem shelf assembly comprising an upright post, a first shelf extending from one side of said post, first shelf attachment means securing said first shelf to said post at said one side thereof, a second shelf extending from the other side of said post, an intermediate connecting member interposed between said second shelf and said other side of said post, second shelf attachment means securing said second shelf to said connecting member and means for attaching said connecting member to said post at the said other side thereof to thereby secure said second shelf to said post in a prescribed orientation to said first shelf.

2. A shelf assembly according to claim 1 wherein said first and second shelves are disposed in substantial end to end alignment with each other.

3. A shelf assembly according to claim 1 wherein said first and second shelf attachment means each include a removable clip mounted on the corresponding shelf and a removable attachment member extending through said post and engaging said clip.

4. A shelf assembly according to claim 1 wherein the means for attaching said intermediate connecting member to said post includes at least two removable attachment members extending through said connecting member at respective locations above and below said second shelf.

5. A shelf assembly according to claim 1 wherein said post includes a shelf-supporting section extending between and substantially at right angles to said first and second shelves and a decorative section extending to the opposite sides of said shelf-supporting section and overlying the adjacent ends of said first and second shelves to substantially cover the respective shelf attachment means and said connecting member.

6. A shelf assembly according to claim 1 wherein said post includes an elongated guideway and said connecting member is nested in said guideway.

7. A shelf assembly according to claim 1 wherein said first and second shelves and their respective first and second attachment means are of substantially identical construction and disposed substantially at the same level relative to said post, said connecting member extending above and below said first and second shelves and being attached to said post at respective locations above and below said first and second attachment means.

8. A shelf assembly according to claim 7 wherein said first and second shelf attachment means each include a removable clip mounted on the corresponding shelf and a removable attachment member extending through said post and engaging said clip.

9. A shelf assembly according to claim 8 wherein said post includes a shelf-supporting section extending between and substantially at right angles to said first and Second shelves and a decorative section extending to the opposite sides of said shelf supporting section and overlying the adjacent ends of said first and second shelves to substantially cover the respective shelf attachment means and said connecting member.

10. A shelf assembly according to claim 9 wherein said post includes an elongated guideway and said connecting member is nested in said guideway.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,691,502 10 /1954 Jones 211-134 X 2,803,352 8/1957 Smola 211-148 X 3,174,592 3/1965 Berman 211--134 X 3,221,894 12/1965 Knuth 211-134 NILE B. BYERS, 111., Primary Examiner 

